Using a 2018 Flagship in 2022- Should you buy old flagships over a 2022 mid-range phone?

I’ve been using the Galaxy S8 Plus, Samsung headlining 2018 flagship phone 2018, for a few months now. This phone was a big brother to the Galaxy S8 with a slightly bigger screen and better hardware. In this article, I’ll be reviewing this phone in 2022, explaining how it holds up in 2022 and whether you should get it over a 2022 budget phone.

Premium Features

One of the biggest perks is having premium features at the price of a budget phone in 2022. You get a glass screen and glass back that give the phone a premium feel. Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus comes with a Super AMOLED 1440p 6.2-inch display that makes media viewing and gaming worthwhile. It is updated to Android 9 with One UI 1.0, which works fine, and the UI holds up in 2022. Premium One UI features like Secure Folder and Edge Lighting are present in this phone, which you won’t find in any of Samsung’s budget lineup (the A-series). This phone has IP68 dust or water-resistant rating. Wireless and fast charging are present in this phone, although budget phones are catching up.

The AMOLED screen burns in over a period leaving white screens looking reddish and navigation buttons imprinted on the phone. You can manage it by setting the brightness to mid or low throughout your use. The lack of OS updates is a drawback. Using the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus means you are stuck on Android 9 as you watch the world passes. You’ll be fine; unless you’re super into tech, you will not even notice.

Performance

The chip powering this phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, which is not as fast as current flagship chipsets but can compete with midrange phones in 2022. I’ve barely had any app hanging issues, and apps load quickly with the 4GB RAM (I got the 4GB/64GB variant) installed. It handles multitasking smoothly, and the split-screen mode works to perfection. It works better than most budget phones on the market, including the Infinix Hot 12 and some phones in the A-series lineup. I get the best speeds Ghana networks can offer, which is not great, to be honest.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus heats with less than 30 minutes of intense use. I’ve had instances where it would get boiling hot and shut down completely.

Gaming

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is mid when it comes to gaming. The graphics chip powering this device is the Mali-G71 MP20, which at that time was a top-of-the-line GPU. Over the years, mobile gaming has jetted off, and graphics have improved massively. I’ve never had any issues running some of the top games. PUBG and Call of Duty Mobile run smoothly at 60 FPS on low to mid graphics settings and Game mode enabled. I downloaded the newly-launched eFootball 2022 on mobile phones, and it plays at 60 FPS on High settings, with occasional stuttering, but that may be due to the network. Apex Legends ran at 30-40 FPS on medium settings at 720p. Overall, the gaming performance on this phone is on par or even better than most phones in its price range.

Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus was the best-in-class in the camera department. Packing a 12MP-sensor camera, this phone takes good photos. The camera, I will go on a limb to say they hold up in 2022. Compared to other budget phones at this current price, the S8 Plus camera blows them out of the water. This phone can shoot videos at 4k/30FPS and 1080/60FPS with optical and electronic image stabilization, a feature not present in budget phones in 2022. The front-facing camera is a different story; poor pictures in low lighting, lack of detail, dynamic range, and dull colors. To be fair, most midrange budget phones have selfie cameras slightly better than the S8 Plus. Don’t buy the S8 Plus if you’re looking for great cameras.

Battery.

The battery is the weakest part of my case for buying the Galaxy S8 plus in 2022. It is slowly deteriorating, and I have to charge the phone every 3-4 hours of use. The already small 3500mAh battery is showing its age in 2022. This is only tolerable because of the 18W fast charger and wireless charging this phone comes with. It can charge from 0-100% within a little over an hour.

So should you buy a flagship in 2018 over a budget phone in 2022? That depends on what you can stomach. If you want an awesome display with great performance and all the premium features a flagship would give you, at the cost of a bad battery, then go for it. You won’t regret it at all. However, if you want to stay current with Android OS and a better battery, cop a good midrange phone. Personally, after using a premium phone, it’ll be hard going back to budget phones.

What are your thoughts? Are you using an old flagship? Let us know in the comments your experience.